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18th century Pikeman (Cossacks 3)
Background Firing fuse muskets was a very slow process, while the fire was far from being accurate or effective. Therefore pikemen squads were added to musketeer detachments in order to defend them from cavalry charges in open space. On average, pikemen constituted about 30% of the infantry during the Thirty Years War. Pikemen were virtually the last infantry force of European regular armies which was equipped with cuirasses. A pikeman's armour comprised an iron helm, a cuirass with knee-long leg-guards, narrow elbow-long shoulder-guards, and gauntlets with large cuffs. The total armour weight was about 20 kg (45 lb). It could protect from arrows, pistol bullets fired from more than 3-4 m (10-14 ft), and even musket bullets fired from large distances. Pikemen were armed with pikes with a wooden shaft of 5.2-5.8 m (17-19 ft) and swords. Pikemen were very effective in close fight; early in the 17th century, they were used both in attacks and for defence purposes. In 1674, pikes played a significant role in the battle of Enzheim, when German cavalry did not dare to assault Turenne's pikemen square. However, as firearms were developed, the role of pikemen became less significant. Body armour was abolished here and there. Soldiers became more mobile and less expensive. By the end of the 17th century, pikemen were mainly used as defensive units. All European armies gradually refused pikemen, and their number fell considerably. Pikemen became armed with pistols and sometimes muskets. In the 18th century, they use no armour and wear a customary uniform - a broadcloth caftan, a camisole (sometimes of elk or goat leather), trousers, and stockings. When it was cold, they also wore a cloak. Pikemen fought in tight arrays of six files each. Usually they were marshalled in a manner allowing musketeers to retreat behind them, while pikemen could easily form a square formation to protect musketeers from cavalry charges. Later, pikes gave place to bayonets in close fight. Bayonets were surely important in hand-to-hand fight, but by far not as good as pikes. Pikemen were the most battle-worthy infantry for close fighting. Characteristics The 18th century pikeman is a cheap and fast-to-train melee unit with a longer attack range than sword units. Fully trained, they are useful in masses against attacking melee cavalry. Although pikeman usually do exceptionally well against cavalry, there is no attack or defense bonus in this game. The biggest weakness of the 18th century pikemen is the missing armor. Especially dragoons and artillery can do heavy damage to them. While armored pikemen from the 17th century can reduce bullet and cannon damage quite well, their unarmored counterparts fall quickly to enemy gunfire. In return, they get the biggest defense upgrade (+15) of all regular units in the game. It is advisable to additionally train officers and drummers to build formations as they bring a +2 bonus each on attack and defense. Pikemen are also very effective when holding a strategical spot by standing ground as they get a bonus of +7 both for attack and defense. Their long melee range effectively holds off melee attackers. 18th century Pikeman (standard) 18th century Pikeman (Sweden) Swedish 18th century pikemen have significantly more hitpoints and a little more attack, but are slightly more expensive and longer to train. Back to Units (Cossacks 3) Category:Units Category:Melee units Category:Pikemen